Grief and fearlessness
“Hope is a woman who has lost her fear…” the Alice Walker poem goes.
Hope rises,
She always does,
did we fail to notice this in all the stories they’ve tried to suppress?
This week we witnessed Rachel Maddow receive important support as she rightfully called out MSNBC for its cancellation of Joy Ann Reid’s show and reassignments of all the non-white primetime anchors helming shows on the network.
“That feels indefensible, and I do not defend it.”
She told the truth.
Watching her monologue, I thought to myself ‘That is a woman who has lost her fear.’
The path to fearlessness and truth-telling is braided in grief. Rachel Maddow’s walk is no different. I remembered her tearful monologue four years ago describing her partner Susan nearly dying from COVID. “I am in love…” she declared in her monologue delivered from the basement of her home. I watched her describe a gripping fear that felt viscerally familiar to me and anyone who also loved someone facing down COVID. It was humane, heartfelt and authentic with genuine care for her viewers. We all lost so much. We all have so much to grieve.
She told the truth.
"Hope is a woman who has lost her fear.
Along with her home, her employment, her parents, her olive trees, her grapes. The peace of independence;
the reassuring noises of ordinary neighbors.
Telling the truth comes at a price.
What I would like to observe is the institutional support Rachel Maddow received navigating the aftermath of grief and recovering from burnout, negotiating a record $30 million dollar dear with the network that allowed her to shift her production responsibilities to a more sustainable, humane pace. It is support that is well-deserved producing crucially important journalism and also delivers a level of protection that makes it safe(r) for her to tell the truth. But it reflects a level of investment never afforded to Black women. Black women tell the truth and shortly thereafter are in a scramble to start a Substack. Yet even with that protection, speaking the truth came at a price to Rachel Maddow as the network announced days ago that it is also going to fire her producing staff in the realignment.
Fearlessness comes at a price.
"Hope is always the teacher
with the toughest homework."
Last week, a newsletter reader sent me a kind, encouraging message (thank you again!) and noted that since we had only connected recently, she had missed my earlier writing. Her note, the cancellation of Joy Ann Reid’s show and Rachel Maddow’s solidarity reminded me of an earlier newsletter edition I wrote analyzing power dynamics, the price Black women public leaders pay for telling the truth and what we all must grieve to be fearless. I encourage you to revisit that here and to ask yourself the question my mentee inspired:
Have you ever considered for yourself what security you need to tell the truth without fear?
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Sabrina
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Upcoming
A work note: I’m proud to share that my team is reprising Rights x Tech’s virtual forums next week that you can register for below. The timing is by design: as we approach the anniversary of the COVID-19 lockdown and navigate crises in our democracy, the reprisal forum theme is Grief, Power & Systems for Survival with two transformative leaders who led extraordinary pandemic organizing efforts and networks:
🎙️ Erin Kissane - writer, researcher and Co-Founder of The Covid Tracking Project at The Atlantic
🎙️ Malkia Devich-Cyril – Founder, Radical Loss Project and Co-Director Healing, Sustainability and Culture Strategy at the Movement Innovation Collaborative
Sabrina Hersi Issa is a human rights technologist. She is committed to leveraging innovation as a tool to unlock opportunity and dignity for all. She does this through her work in technology, media and philanthropy. This is her personal newsletter.